


Coffee, Black

by lasvegas_lights



Series: Drinks and Drumming [1]
Category: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-29
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2019-02-23 07:35:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13185354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lasvegas_lights/pseuds/lasvegas_lights
Summary: Amanda's boring life working in a cafe to pay the bills gets interrupted by a scruffy, tattooed stranger looking for coffee.





	Coffee, Black

**Author's Note:**

> Once again, completely unbeta'd so apologies for any errors. I'm thinking of adding more to this but not sure what yet (I'm starlingbite on Tumblr if anyone wants to discuss ideas!) Inspired by intricatecakes who wanted to see a coffee shop AU featuring Drummerwolf.

Amanda was bored.

Bored because the cafe hadn’t seen a customer in nearly an hour. Bored because her life was making frothy concoctions for people who didn’t understand good coffee. Bored because this wasn’t what she wanted to be doing for the rest of her life.

It didn’t help that her boss sucked, as did the pay, and the long hours meant she got back too late for drum practice. If she was going to perform professionally, she needed to get the hours in, but her neighbours didn’t agree. The only time they didn’t complain to her playing was during the day but she was rarely home in the middle of the day. Her drum kit was currently being used as a clothes hanger for her drying underwear.

She sighed, pulled two stirrers out of the nearby pot and began drumming a rhythm on the counter. In her head, she heard a full rock band accompanying her and she became so lost in the beat that she didn’t hear the bell over the door ding.

“Not bad.”

Amanda jumped in surprise, dropping one of the stirrers on the floor and flinging the other one somewhere she would never find it again. She swore, bent down to pick up the dropped stirrer and straightened up to the site of a scruffy, tattooed customer, grinning at her. Holy Hannah he was hot. His bleached hair stuck up in a mohawk and matched the beard she wanted to run her fingers through. His glasses framed his piercing eyes and his physique was accentuated by a tight vest, skinny jeans and shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He was exactly her type: Just this side of dangerous with enough mystery about him to leave her wanting more. She blinked like an idiot.

“Can I get a coffee?” he asked.

“Coffee?” she repeated. She kicked herself mentally. She didn’t normally have such a problem talking to men.

The guy looked around with a raised eyebrow, “This _is_ a coffee shop, right?”

Amanda nodded, “yeah.”

He gave her an amused look, “Coffee? Black?” He asked.

“Right.” She snapped herself out of it, quickly poured coffee into a paper cup and pressed a lid down on top. “Two dollars”

He slid a ten-dollar bill across the counter and she exchanged it for eight dollars which he dropped into the empty tip jar beside her.

As he was walking out the door she called after him, “Thanks!”

He turned his head and nodded, “See you soon Drummer.” He disappeared out the door and Amanda face planted on the counter with a groan. She completely blew it.

Lifting her head, she replayed his last words in her mind.

_See you soon Drummer._

Huh. Maybe she hadn’t blown it. Next time she would be prepared.

* * *

She refused to admit to putting a little extra care getting ready in the morning the next day, and the next day after that. She chose tops which flattered her figure (a bra which flattered her even further but dug into her ribs all day) and spent a little more time and care on her hair and make-up than normal.

It took four days of the _upkeep_ before the guy strode back in again. He definitely noticed her appearance and she tried not to look pleased with herself.

“Morning” she greeted him casually. Pleased with herself for not acting like an idiot in front of him for a second time. “Coffee? Black?” She guessed.

“Well remembered,” he said appreciatively.

“Easier to remember than the Triple, Venti, Half Sweet, Non-Fat, Caramel Macchiatos everyone else orders.”

He laughed so contagiously Amanda couldn’t help but grin. She held out a hand towards him “Amanda,” she introduced herself. He slid his warm, calloused hand into hers and squeezed tightly.

“Martin,” he replied.

Still hand in hand, she eyed up the ink shapes which snaked from his hand, up his forearm and underneath his rolled-up sleeve. “Nice tats.”

“Nice nails,” he returned, twisting his wrist until her hand was facing up. She had chosen a lime green colour on her nails which had already started to chip.

Reluctantly Amanda let go and made up his simple order. He passed over another ten dollars and the change once again went in the empty tip jar. She thanked him once again.

“See you soon Drummer.”

* * *

He appeared the next day during another lull in business. Her eyes lit up as she saw who was at the counter.

“The coffee’s not _that good_ you know,” She teased.

Martin shrugged, “Maybe I come for the company.”

She couldn’t stop her cheeks from going red and she turned away to make up his order so he couldn’t see the effect he had on her.

“Am I your only customer?” He asked as she passed the coffee cup over to him.

“Everyone else clearly has highly developed taste buds,” she joked, “they come once and never again.”

He took a sip of the hot black liquid, “they don’t know what they’re missing darling.”

Amanda rested her forearms on the countertop, leaning over enough to give Martin a pleasant view. “So what are you doing when you’re not complementing poorly paid baristas?”

She caught his eyes flicking down for a split second and back up to meet her eyes. He silently dug into a denim pocket, pulled out a business card and slid it across the counter alongside another ten-dollar bill.

“See you soon Drummer?” This time it was a question. For the first time, he looked at her hesitantly, waiting for her answer.

She held the business card in her hand tightly, feeling one corner dig into her palm, “I’d like that,” she responded with a wide smile. He returned the smile and raised the coffee cup in the air as he exited the shop.  

When he was out of sight, she opened her grip and looked down at the card in her hand. It was for Rowdy3, a bar uptown that she’d never been to but always meant to go. Now she had a good reason to.

* * *

It took longer than normal to get ready for her night out. After five outfit changes, she finally settled on a pair of ripped skinny jeans, and a black halter neck top which showed off just the right amount of skin. She put her hair up to show off the shaved undercut she wasn’t allowed to have on display at work and made the most of her smoky eyes with winged eyeliner and a dark lipstick. She dug deep into back of her closet for her favourite pair of high heeled boots. When wearing them, her ass looked great.

There was only one guy she wanted attention from.

Chucking her phone and cash into a purse, she treated herself to an Uber and waited outside in the warm summer evening for it to arrive.

Outside the bar she found herself getting nervous. She hadn’t liked a guy like this in a long time and the last couple of boyfriends had been assholes to her in the end. She was sure she was going to screw things up. There was also the strong chance she had imagined the flirting and she was about to make a fool of herself. At least she could drown her sorrows in alcohol if it all went wrong.

She took a deep breath and pushed herself forwards towards the thumping music. Swinging open the door, she was hit by a wall of sound and heat. The place was packed by jumping and dancing to the live music being performed on the stage at the back of the room. To her right was a bar which ran nearly the entire length of the room with people crowded against it two or three people deep, waiting for their chance to order more drinks. On the left was tables and booths with groups downing shots, cuddling up close and nodding along to the music.

Through the crowd she spotted the recognisable blonde mohawk and forced her way through the throng until she could find a spare barstool to slip onto.

She enjoyed watching him work for a while as he mixed drinks and spun bottles like a pro. It was a good ten minutes before he noticed her sitting there and he made his way over to her.

“Hey! You came!” He greeted her with a wide grin. His eyes gave her a once over that sent a shiver down her spine, “It’s nice to see _all of you_ for a change.”

“It’s nice to see you in your natural habitat,” Amanda responded.

“What can I get you to drink? Coffee, black?” He joked.

She rolled her eyes, “How about beer, cold?”

“That I can provide,” he reached into the fridge behind him, pulled out a bottle, deftly popped the cap and slid it across the bar to her.

“What do I owe you?”

Martin shook his head, “This one’s on me.”

“You can just give away drinks like that?”

He leaned over the bar until his lips were against her ear, “You can if you own the bar.” He whispered. His breath was warm against her skin and was disappointed when he pulled away.

“Better take advantage then,” She lifted the bottle to her lips and took a gulp, enjoying how his eyes never left her.

Throughout the evening he spent as much time as possible across the bar from her, only leaving her side when it was too busy for the other bar staff to handle it on their own. He introduced her to all the staff too. Cross and Gripps were mad as hell but hilarious, telling Amanda all sorts of stories about Martin that had her laughing until her belly hurt. Then there was Vogel who Amanda was sure must have been a puppy in an alternate life. He bounced around and had all the young women fawning over him which had the other three rolling their eyes. It was obvious to Amanda that they were a tight family and she was lucky to be invited into it.

She didn’t realise how long she had stayed until she saw the band packing up and noticed just how empty the bar had become. At least she didn’t have work in the morning.

“I really should go,” she said reluctantly.

“No wait,” he placed a hand on her arm to stop her, “Stay, please.”

She took a deep breath, “And what exactly am I staying for?” She asked boldly.

His hand slid down her arm and came to a stop over her own hand. “For us to have the place to ourselves,” He answered her. “If you’d like.”

Good. She wasn’t imagining things. He liked her back. She was definitely up for seeing where this was heading. “I would…like that, I mean”

He leaned in close one again, his eyes dark with lust, “I really want to kiss you,” he admitted quietly. “But the guys are watching.”

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Cross and Gripps nudging each other and smiling at the two of them.

“Screw them” She told him as she slipped a hand round the back of Martin’s neck, pulling him in until their lips met. He melted against her, deepening the kiss and slipping his own hand into her hair. He tasted like the beer he’d been enjoying throughout the evening as well as the slight hint of tobacco.

She ignored the cheering and wolf-whistling down the other end of the bar as they separated. Martin shook his head in resignation “Idiots, the lot of them.”

“ _Your_ idiots.” Amanda reminded him, leaning forward to press another short kiss against his lips which he happily reciprocated.

“I live upstairs,” Martin blurted out as they parted. She raised an eyebrow, “What I mean is…I know we haven’t known each other very long but-

Amanda put him out of his misery, “I would love to” With her index finger, she traced the lines of ink over his hand and up her arm, “I want to see where these go.”

“Oh yeah?” Martin said, “What about you, any tats?”

“Maybe,” She teased, “You’ll have to wait and see.”

* * *

Amanda woke up slowly, the cracks of light through the blind letting her know it was morning. She was naked but wrapped up like a burrito in the sheet she had fallen asleep under and there was an arm draped over her front, connected to an unconscious Martin, also naked beside her. She had clearly stolen all the sheet in the night and his bare ass was on full view. A view she definitely enjoyed.  

The evening had been amazing. From the moment he had led her up the stairs to his apartment above he hadn’t taken his eyes off her. After another drink and a lot of making out on his couch, he had pulled her towards the bedroom with little resistance from her. Her clothes had been slowly peeled off, his own clothes joining hers on a pile on the floor and he then proceeded to give her the best orgasm of her life. Followed by two more.

A part of her feared how quickly she was falling for Martin. He was right when he said they hadn’t known each other very long. But since he first walked into the coffee shop, something had felt right, like a puzzle piece falling into place.

She heard a low grown and felt movement beside her. She looked over just as Martin lifted his head off the pillow and looked back at her blearily. “Morning,” his voice was gruff from sleep and it left a warm feeling inside her. She wasn’t planning on letting him leave the bed anytime soon. He reached behind him for his glasses and slipped them on quickly.

 “You stole the covers,” he noted once his eyesight had returned.

She grinned back at him. “Get used to it.”


End file.
